Kiwi daredevils taking on the world
Dare-devil Kiwis have made their names internationally in many sports and high adrenalin outdoor pursuits.
From BMX cycling to multi-sport, surfing, alpine skiing and motocross, Kiwis know how to make the most of New Zealand’s wild terrain and rugged natural beauty when it comes to sporting activities.
New Zealanders of all ages love their extreme sports, and Kiwi world champions like BMX cyclist Sarah Walker and adventure sport athlete Steve Gurney co-exist with young rising extreme sport stars such as skier Jossi Wells, surfer Paige Hareb and motocross rider Levi Sherwood.
Sarah Walker - BMX champion
 The quiet town of Whakatane, in the eastern Bay of Plenty region, is the birthplace of one of New Zealand’s best athletes, BMX world cycling champion Sarah Walker.
Sarah won both the elite women and elite cruiser women events at the BMX World Championship in Adelaide, Australia in 2009. She was also a finalist at the BMX women’s event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where she finished fourth.
She is currently ranked number one BMX women’s cyclist in the world by the UCI (International Cycling Union).
Sarah Walker lives in Kawerau, in the central North Island - not far from Rotorua.
Steve Gurney - adventure athlete
 A nine-time New Zealand ‘Coast to Coast’ champion, Steve Gurney is a world-renowned adventure athlete.
Steve is the most-crowned winner of the Coast to Coast, an annual Kiwi multi-sport event that features running, cycling and kayaking that traverses the South Island from the west to the east coast.
Steve Gurney also competes internationally in races such as the Raid Gauloises adventure race and the X-Games tournament hosted by US sports broadcaster ESPN. Early in his career, he nearly died after being poisoned by bat dung while racing in the jungles of Borneo.
In January 2004, Steve received a New Zealand Order of Merit for services to endurance sport.
Although no-longer a full-time athlete, Steve still competes in some adventure sport races and works as a motivational speaker.
Brendon Hartley - F1 driver
 Formula One race car driver Brendon Hartley comes from a Kiwi family of motorsport fans - his father Bryan owns a workshop in Palmerston North, in the North Island’s Manawatu region.
Brendon won his first motorsport medal in New Zealand’s entry-level Formula Ford competition at age 13. He went on to compete internationally all over the UK and Europe in various Eurocup and North European Cup series. In 2008, Brendon competed in the British F3 championship and finished third.
For the 2010 F1 season, Brendon has been appointed official reserve driver for both the Red Bull Racing and Scudetaria Toro Rosso teams, a position that he also held in 2009.
Levi Sherwood - motocross rider
 Nicknamed "Rubber Kid", New Zealand freestyle motocross rider Levi Sherwood caused a stir when he won the opening round of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour in 2009. Then only 17, Levi beat out a man nearly twice his age, Japan’s Eigo Sato.
Levi, who was born in Palmerston North, became the youngest ever rider to join the Crusty Demons when he earned a spot with them at age 12. The Crusty Demons are a group of stunt bikers from New Zealand, Australia, the US and Europe.
With his star ever rising, Levi now divides his time between Los Angeles and and New Plymouth, competing in motocross events all over the world.
Jossi Wells - freeski champion
 At the age of two, when most kids can barely climb a tree, Kiwi freeskier Jossi Wells was already learning how to ski.
By age 16, Jossi’s early dedication had won this South Island talent the 2006 NZ Snow Sports Person of the Year, a great achievement considering that there were Olympians in the running.
In February 2010, Jossi claimed freeskiing’s most coveted trophy, the Dew Cup, during the final of the Dew Tour in Vermont. Jossi became the first New Zealander to win a silver medal at the 2008 Winter X-Games, when he competed in the skier slopestyle category.
Jossi Wells lives in Wanaka - one of New Zealand’s major snow sport destinations - and is considered one of the world’s foremost rising ski talents.
Paige Hareb - surfing champion
 Taranaki-born surfer Paige Hareb became the first Kiwi woman to qualify for the ASP World tour in 2008, a world surfing championship held annually to decide on the best competition surfer of the year.
The rookie New Zealand surfer made sure she was noticed that year when she came close to beating Australian favourite Stephanie Gilmore.
Paige learned how to surf at age six and was taught by her father, Mike, on one of his longboards.
Growing up in Oakura, in the Taranaki surf region, she says the best thing about her hometown is that you can surf and ski on the same day.
More information
Paige Hareb bio
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